The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-01-20
PAST AND PRESENT.
How congressman Lived in Washing
ion 80 Years Ago.

A resident Of Southwestern State having
by letter from his home in that State asked me
TO write an article in which the mode OF life OF
the Congressman Of former days, while in the
National Capital would be compared with that
they have led at Washington in thu past 20
years. have been gathering material To COM
ply with his request from old books and papers
and old residents Of the city.
For a number of years "before the war"
THAT is phrase generally used among the old
residents of Washington as marking an epoch
wholly distinct in all its salient features from
the period since 1863 Senators aud Representa-
tives in Congress used, while in Washington,
! 60 have what were called "messes" together;
several Of them taking all the available rooms
in house, and having a common table sup
piled by caterer, sometimes man aud some
times a woman, living in the same building
with themselves or outside, as the case might
be. Strong friendships, which in more than
one instance brought about consequences in-
volying great National interests, were formed
in these mesSes between men from widely sep
arated parts of the country, who met year after
year in the familiar way above indicated, liy-
| ing under one roof in Warrington.
To illustrate, the case of the late David X.
Atchison may be mentioned for one who knew
him ard the men with whom he had messed"
while a Senator from Missouri in Washington,
mates, Senators II. M. L. Hunter and James Nj.
Mason, both of Virginia and Senator d. p. But
Ter, of South Carolina, to give Mr. Atchison
up, when he
FAILED OF REFLECTION
as Senator from Missouri in 1856, and their
consequent desire TO have him come 10 the Sem
ate from some other State was one of the first
| links in the chain of circumstances which
brought about the fight for the organization of
| Kansas as a Territory, and laid the train Of
political explosives which lighted the torch of
war six years later.
The Senators named above, who were very
cultivated men and greatly enjoyed their own
companionship, messed together for several
! years. terminating when Atchison's term ex-
pired in March, 1855, on l. street, between
Eighth and Ninth streets, opposite where the
POstoffce Department now is, and near the
house where Mr.. Seaton, for so long the editor
of the famous National IatelIigecer, then lived; (;
a part of the city which has long ceased TO be
desirable as a residence. When Senator Atchi-
sons messmates recognized, as he himself did,
the fact that he, belonging as he did to the CAL
houn wing of the Democratic party in Missouri,
which was then in disrcpute in that State, had
no political future there, they listened eagerly
and fell in with his plans when he talked in
glowing terms in the Senate in the last session
| he was 10 serve there, of the beautiful country
west Of Missouri, as yet unsettled, but which
was admirably adapted for raising crops to be
cultivated by slave labor and he expressed the
opinion that if Territorial organization was
made il would be Immediately filled up by
Shareholders, especially from Missouri. and in
| year or two a slave State would be asking ad-
mission to the Union. His idea, and that of
his friends was TO lay the foundation
FOR A NEW STATE,
TO be peopled and admitted, from which Atchi-
son was TO come as the first Senator and so he
and his messmates would be again united in
| Washington; plan they could not succeed
in carrying out.
The controversy in Congress begun when
the attempt was made TO organize the proposed
Territory of Nebraska 1t had for its first effect
the disruption of the Wing party, the Northern
members thereof falling away from their
Southern brethren when the Nebraska bill was
introduced by the late Stephen A. Douglas, of
Illinois, and finally the Democratic party was
broken up also on a like issue. But of the his
tory Of that celebrated controversy it is un-
necessary 10 speak further now have only
alluded TO il thus TO illustrate how the manner
in which Congressman lodge and eat in Wash
ington may become matter Of vital Importance
TO the people of the whole Nation.
The "messes" as a mode of living for Con-
gressmen, were known early in the present
century, though there were from the time
Washington city was made the National Capi-
tai many clearinghouse kept on the same
plan as now, and
A FEW so-cALLED HOTELS
in the city, which were frequented by Members
of both Houses Of Congress, and il was in one
of these boarding houses, kept by Mrs. O'Neil
that Gen. jackson, while Senator, some years
before he was President, formed the acquaint,
ance of his landadys daughter, the celebrated
Peggy 0'Neil," !" who subsequently, as the wife
Of Gen. Eaton, Jackson's Secretary of War
caused such violent social disturbances during
the second year of Jacl1son's administration
and occasioned the disruption of his Cabinet
another proof that the mode Of life of Congress
men in Washington may bring about conse
quences affecting the entire Nation.
| i have, as one means OF emphasizing the con-
trast between the present and past in the man
ner in which Congressman and other public
, men live and have lived in Washington, com
pared the latest edition of the Congressional
Directory with the similar publications in th,
earlier years Of this century. The volumes o
this indispensable work 10 those who enter int
. social life in Washington have for long tern
, Of years contained about 200 pages about Il
! inches long and five wide.
In the National Library at the Capitol are
number OF volumes Of the old Congressiona
! Directory, and have recently examined thos
, BEGINNING WITH 1909
(the earliest date in the library and eontinu
ing up TO and including 1916, though the las
is not the latest date of the publication in tn
! library.
: These are very diminutive little books abou
one-fourth the size of the bound volumes of tn
4 issues bearing the same name Of late years
a The old ones are about eight inches long an,
: four wide, and each contains from about ii h
4 SO pages The volume for 1909 gives only tn
:" Places of Abode of the Members of Botl
Houses Of Congress" as its title page expresse
= il, for the LIST session of the llth Congress.
: Nearly all the Senators and Representative
= seem then TO have lived on Capitol Hill, two O
!. three Of the former and from five to ten of tn
- latter generally being in one house. Occasion
. ally the place of abode was given by the nam
Of hotel in connection with that of the mai
I or woman who kept it, but more frequently i
: : was mentioned only AS Mrs. Matchin's," mi
: !. Frost's," AZ Miss Reagans," etc. Those jus
Z named were further designated in the Direct
= : ory by the words capitol HILL" Some il
\ other localities had their position indicated b,
. the words Pennsylvania Avenue, or i Street
J, or Georgetown, showing that il was suppose
. unnecessary to give more explicit directions
q so sPARsELY SETTLED
q was the city that any one would know wher
!. 10 find the houses by the above, as they seen
n 10 u.s. indefinite addresses.
! The boarding-houses and "messes" are i
n most of these books arranged in alphabetica
a order whether the Congressman are so tabula
ted or not. Hiland Hail. of Vermont, VIII
10 died last year, was in 1885 at FletcherI
e l. street. near Postoflice Senator Daniel Wei
- ster in 1885 was at Bayliss on the Genie